Monday, June 22, 2009

Sidelined

...for the moment.

I've mentioned this in past posts, but it's back again - I have bad knees. Both are bad, but my right knee in particular gives me the most problems. I've had them both scoped at different times when I was younger - mainly for torn cartilage. The right knee suffered the most damage and had the most cartilage removed. In addition I have a floating patella - meaning my kneecap just floats around willy-nilly thinking it can do whatever the hell it wants and go wherever the hell it wants, damning the pain it causes the rest of the joint. (my knee cap is such a princess...it gets that from me).

My knee injuries and pain stem from a number of reasons:

I'm a spazz - I run, walk, crawl, talk, chew like a spazz. Very uncoordinated.

I'm a girl of German heritage = I'm a curvy gal. I have wide hips which means my legs are at an angle (think V). This angle means I put a funky pressure on my knees when I strike the ground.

I have less cartilage which means less joint lube which means bone on bone rubbing.

I should be wearing my patella stabilizer band all the time during runs, but I don't. I'm lazy and impatient and I forget where I put it and decide "ahh, the heck with it" and run out the door anyway.

I think I'm superwoman and can just run and add mileage without any problems.

So, needless to say my right knee is very, very angry and swollen now. My knee had been a little sore last week, but nothing crazy. I noticed it was more sore after the long run on Friday morning. By Saturday it was really sore. I decided to take the day off and just give it a rest. Then it started to swell up. By Sunday it was really swollen. I would ice it and elevate it and it would go back down. As soon as I got up to go outside and help my husband plant it would swell to the size of a grapefruit in minutes. I did a good number on it this time. I'm really not in much pain though - just some soreness and stiffness. I'm hoping if I just lay off of it for a few days it will calm back down. So, looks like I'm stuck to the bike and elliptical for the next few days. Good thing is, I'm on travel this week and I can easily go to the gym and get a few non-impact miles in and I won't feel guilty for not joining the running groups.

I think this is my body's way of telling me to slow it down. I think I upped my mileage too quick, too soon. I think my knees are stupid.

So sorry to hear about your knees and the issues you have with them. I had my knee scoped a few years ago, pain from years of gymnastics. Hope the non-impact stuff goes better, and you can hit the roads again soon. Sending speedy healing vibes.